


how close we’ve gotten

by phantomthieves



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, F/F, FBI AU, Fake Names, Flirting, Lies, Mafia AU, Mutual Pining, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Secret Identity, Secrets, Undercover Work, accidental deception, bartender catra, but also mafia catra, fbi agent adora
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-09
Updated: 2020-05-04
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:20:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 18,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22186975
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phantomthieves/pseuds/phantomthieves
Summary: She was such a powerful person, and yet so few people--even people that worked for her all the time--have actually met her and actually knew her name. She was an elusive woman few dared to fuck with, and she took a lot of pride in that. Known only as Felino to most people aside from those closest to her, she put fear into those that knew of her or worked below her. One wrong step, and you were done for…But, even so, she was still a person. She still had feelings. And right now, she felt worried that sooner rather than later, the criminal empire she's built could come tumbling to the ground.Catra had to get this under control again, one way or another.***Catra and Adora, on different ends of the law, have no idea that the other could bring down their entire career. One fighting for justice, the other fighting to maintain power. But neither know of the others identity. Neither of them realize just how close they’ve gotten to danger.
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra)
Comments: 34
Kudos: 108





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> haha ok so.......hi y’all probably didn’t expect to see me back so soon.....haha....  
> anyways this is an idea i’ve head in my head for a while now and i’m not quite sure how it’ll go....hopefully it’s good and enjoyable to read.
> 
> also, i had to give everyone totally fake last names and i tried to give them ones that matched their personalities (i’ll explain why i chose the names and what they mean in the end notes) but it was like. pretty needed since last names are lowkey a big part of this. they’re kinda lame o well..
> 
> anyways, i truly hope you guys enjoy this, and i hope i can continue to write good things!

Special Agent Adora Starke walks into the new, foreign FBI office, looking around a bit as she does. It was fairly similar-looking to the office she worked at back home, but it felt different. Bigger, more tense, more stiff… It was twice the size of her office back home, due to this being such a huge, populated city. It only made sense, really. She walks up to the front desk, flashing her badge to the secretary when he looks up. "Adora Starke. I'm here to speak with the Deputy Director," She tells him, putting her badge back on her belt. The secretary nods slightly. 

"Of course, Special Agent Starke," He says, smiling a bit. "We've been expecting your arrival, we're excited to-" The phone on his desk starts ringing, and he quietly asks Adora to wait a moment before he picks up the phone. He doesn't get a chance to respond before the voice on the other end begins talking. "Y-Yes, Deputy Director, she actually just arrived--Mhm, I'm sending her in now." He quickly hangs up, pressing a button on his desk. "Go right ahead, I'm sorry for the wait." 

Adora just smiles and nods. "No problem," She murmurs before heading inside, thanking the secretary on her way. She walks into the Deputy Director's office to see a fairly young-looking man sitting at the desk, looking over a pretty thick case file.

"Take a seat, I'll be with you in just a moment," He says without looking up. A bit surprised, Adora sits down after closing the door, unsure of what to say for a moment, especially when he doesn't say anything else to her. She looks around the room, waiting patiently for him to finish what he's doing. She takes a glance at the placard on his desk; His name is Seahawk Brandstelle. Wow. What a first name… 

He finally looks up with a sigh, closing the file. "Special Agent Starke." He smiles a tired looking smile. "I'm Seahawk Brandstelle, it's such a pleasure to finally meet you," He tells her, holding out his hand. When she takes it and shakes his hand, he speaks again. "We've heard amazing things about your work." 

Adora smiles and nods, taking her hand back. "I try my best," She responds, folding her hands in her lap. "So, ah, may I ask why you've called me to look at your case? My boss back home just told me that it was a big one, I didn't get details," She tells him, shrugging slightly. Seahawk sighs and nods. 

"She should've told you before you accepted the case, but…" He looks at her. "I've asked for your help specifically to help get to the bottom of some new mob or gang or something here in the city." 

Adora's eyebrows raise in surprise. Okay, she was _not_ quite expecting that. "A-A _mob_? Like, the mafia?" She wasn't sure what exactly she was expecting, but mass organized crime was not it. 

"We believe so… and we have very little idea on who the hell is running it. Whoever they are, they've caused so much trouble around the city that it's getting difficult to keep up," Seahawk explains, a pained look crossing his face as he taps the case file. "We've gotten reports of drug and weapon trafficking, along with increased gun violence and various crimes throughout the city. Local police precincts have been doing their best to get it under control, but it's got all of us baffled. Knowing your track record, I thought it was best we call in an expert of sorts for this…"

Adora takes a moment to process this. Her boss had been right, this _was_ a big case--no, it was a _huge_ case. "With all due respect, Deputy Director, how do you expect me to solve this? Haven't you followed any leads or tips yourselves?" 

"That's the thing," Seahawk murmurs with a chuckle. "Any lead or tip we've gotten has been a dead end. Nobody will talk about it, no matter how hard we press. However, we're certain that if we find and take down their leader, the rest of the mob will fall right behind them," He explains, smiling hopefully. "We just…have to figure out who that is." 

Adora stares at him for a moment. "Alright." She looks away, thinking, then back at him. "Tell me what you _do_ know about all this," She asks, hoping she can get _something_ to work with that wasn't already an exhausted source. Seahawk nods, opening the file again and flipping a few pages. 

"What we _do_ know is that a few suspects we've brought in have mentioned that the mob is supposedly--but we don't know for sure, like I mentioned before--run by a woman who only goes by Felino. Several searches through all our databases have come up empty, so we believe it might be an alias rather than a real name." He flips another page. "This is one of the biggest criminal rings we've seen in decades. Whoever she is, she's _powerful_. She's got nearly every corner of the city covered."

"And when did this all start?" She asks, leaning over a bit to see the pages a bit better. 

"About six months ago. We didn't consider the possibility of mafia related crime until someone was arrested and they told the police about Felino. When they asked who Felino was, the suspect said the leader of a mafia, and a quickly growing one. Of course, that could all be bullshit to throw us off, but I digress." He sighs and leans back, shrugging slightly.

"Is that all?" Adora asks, silently asking if she can take the case file by placing her hand on it. Seahawk nods, gesturing for her to take it. She opens it up and begins looking through herself.

"That's about all, yes. Oh-" He stops, sitting up a bit straighter. He leans over and flips a couple pages. He stops on a mugshot of a young person, but there's no name on the plate, just the name of the jail and the date. The words 'Double Trouble' are written in permanent marker across the top of the page, and all the arrest info is typed below the picture. She raises an eyebrow. 

"Uh. Who is this?" She asks, confused by the name. She doesn't bother reading about their arrest yet. Seahawk heaves a sigh. 

"That… is Double Trouble. DT for short. No matter how hard our research team looked we couldn't find their actual name anywhere. They're a supposed member of the Felino mafia, but they've told us nothing about it, like I mentioned before. Nobody is saying anything or giving us any info… DT included," He explains, leaning back in his chair. "In the past, they've caused us a bit of trouble--ah. Double Trouble…" He rubs his chin in thought. Adora can't help but smirk at the light joke, looking down at the file to hide it. "A-Anyways," Seahawk says after clearing his throat.

"Are they in prison?" Adora asks, looking up again. "Or…?" 

"No. They were, amazingly, found 'not guilty' at their trial--attempted murder, by the way--and they were released," He murmurs with a sigh. "So they're out there right now doing God knows what." 

"Do we have an address or phone number for them?" She asks, looking around the page trying to find one. Seahawk leans over and taps a little box of text that includes their address and phone number near the bottom of the page. Adora nods slightly. "Thanks."

Seahawk smiles a bit. "You can bring them in, but I'm not sure how much they'll say, if anything," He warns her. "So don't get frustrated-" He's interrupted by a beep on his desk from the receptionist outside. He presses a button. "Yes?" 

"I have Special Agent Brightmoon here waiting for you, sir." 

"Ah, that's right. Go ahead and let her in," Seahawk tells the receptionist, and just a moment later, the door opens and a young woman walks in, a very official--but relaxed--air about her. She smiles at Adora and sits down. "Special Agent Brightmoon, I'd like to introduce you to Adora Starke," He says, gesturing to Adora. The young woman's eyes go a bit wide. 

"Wait- wait, _you're_ Adora Starke?" She laughs a bit. "Wow. This is _really_ cool, you got her to work with us?" She asks Seahawk, who nods slightly. 

Adora nods as well, looking at her. "It's a pleasure to help when I can. I kind of get called all over the country to help with various cases, but this is by far the biggest case I've taken," She tells her, rambling just a little bit. 

Seahawk clears his throat quietly, and Adora hushes. Then, he gestures to the other woman. "This is Glimmer Brightmoon. She'll be your partner on this case," He explains, and Adora looks surprised, but pleased that she won't actually have to do this alone. 

"That's awesome, thank you," Adora says, holding out her hand to Glimmer, offering her a warm smile. Glimmer shakes her hand, smiling back at her. Seahawk hums quietly when they look back at him. 

"You don't really have a deadline, but we'd really like to have this solved as soon as possible. Adora, you'll have access to all resources we have here, so please use them at your discretion. Glimmer, I trust you'll show her around the city?" Glimmer nods quickly, and Seahawk smiles. "Great. Well, the case file is yours. Good luck you two." 

* * *

Felino stares out at the FBI office building from where she's parked her car a block or so away, frowning as she sees a few people she'd never seen before walk into the building; She had profiles on all the cops, detectives, FBI agents, or any other figures of authority in the city to avoid any risk of running into them and getting caught, so now that there were new ones, she'd have to get to work on that... She should've expected this, honestly; Of course there would be new people joining the force, of course more people from various law enforcement branches were being transferred to the city after the mess her associates and subordinates were causing. She grips the steering wheel tight, starting to get upset at all the work she'd have to do now. If this all kept up, soon enough, everything would be blown and it'd all go to shit. She glances at her partner, who looks far less than concerned as they sit beside her, inspecting their nails, quite bored with just sitting here. "Could you at least _act_ like you give a shit?" She asks, glaring at them through her sunglasses as a frown crosses her face.

They smirk. "Darling, I can act anyway you want me to," They say with a dramatic wave of their hand. She scoffs, rolling her eyes in exasperation and looking away. 

"Stop that, this is serious. We could _all_ get caught if the assholes working below us don't shape up." She starts the car, then starts driving, visibly frustrated. Her partner just sighs, looking out the window.

"You take it all far too seriously, _Catra_ ," They say, shaking their head as she winces at the sound of her name. "If we haven't been caught in the last three cities we've made branches in, there's no way we'll get caught now," They say with another dismissive wave of their hand and a shake of their head. "We're just too good at covering our asses--and that mole you have working for us in the FBI helps _tons_ to keep things more hidden, you know."

She doesn't say anything, gripping the wheel tighter as she frowns. First, she hated hearing her name from someone in her mob, even if it _was_ someone she trusted with her life. She was careful about that. With civilians, she didn't care--unless it was her last name, then she got jumpy--but mob members and authority figures… that could get messy. Second, they had a point; She was able to keep everything so well under wraps that nobody could understand why crime rates had gone up so much or how this mafia had suddenly laid claim here, or… who _she_ was. People had yet to discover her true identity, and she made it a point to never let subordinates meet her; They had a higher chance of getting caught, if they were to get caught at all, so she _definitely_ did not want one of them giving up her identity. 

Of course, she tried to keep everything relatively calm so as to not raise _too_ much suspicion, but for some reason, the underlings here took advantage of their line of work and made life flat out miserable for the citizens of the city. That was _not_ her goal here. She was a smuggler--drugs, weapons, anything else illegal that needed to come in. She loaned money out--if someone was desperate enough, they'd come to her. She made sure she was the _only_ one in the city who could do all of what she does--if some rival came onto her territory or interfered with her business, she'd know, and she'd take care of it… but she did _not_ cause unnecessary trouble like what's been going on. Petty theft, shootings, home invasions… what the hell were they thinking? She had half a mind to get rid of all the ones who were causing trouble, honestly.

She was such a powerful person, and yet so few people--even people that worked for her all the time--have actually met her and actually knew her name. She was an elusive woman few dared to fuck with, and she took a lot of pride in that. Known only as Felino to most people aside from those closest to her, she put fear into those that knew of her or worked below her. One wrong step, and you were done for… Which was she was considering being done with the people who were putting her work in jeopardy. 

But, even so, she was still a person. She still had feelings. And right now, she felt worried that sooner rather than later, the criminal empire she's built could come tumbling to the ground. 

She had to get this under control again, one way or another.

* * *

Adora stares at the file with a sigh, running a hand through her hair. "I haven't been able to get ahold of DT," She murmurs, glancing at her phone and hoping it lights up with a new notification. It doesn't. Not even a text. "I'm thinking we should just go over to their place-" 

"Adora, hold on," Glimmer interrupts her, holding up her hands. "Listen, you _just_ got here, and we've been at this for hours trying to scrounge up more witnesses and connections. Let's call it a night and go home." It was true; after Seahawk had dismissed them, they'd gone straight to a small conference room to look over everything about the case and potentially find more witnesses to various crimes, informants, or people who had connections to Felino. But they haven't had much luck… It didn't help that Adora was tired from her flight here. 

"Yeah," She murmurs, nodding slightly after a bit of thought. "You're right, that's a good idea." She gathers all the papers that had come from the file and puts them back in the folder, making sure it's neatly organized like before. Glimmer stands up after Adora is done, and she leads her out of the room. 

"Can you get to your hotel okay?" She asks, and Adora nods.

"I'll be fine. It's not too far from here," She tells her, putting the file in the bag she had at her side. "Call me tomorrow and we can start figuring out what to do next," She requests, heading towards the exit. 

Glimmer stops at the door. "No problem. See you," She says with a little wave, and Adora waves back before walking out and to the rental car she'd be using for an indeterminate amount of time. 

She drives to the hotel Seahawk has booked for her, sparing a few glances around the city to take in some of the sights. People didn't really come for sightseeing, but Adora had to admit it was fairly bigger than her home city, and there was lots she hasn't seen. Not to mention she's never actually been here before… She pulls into the parking lot, checks in, then grabs her suitcase and heads to her room. She gets out of her stuffy suit almost immediately, glad to be out of it. It was time to relax now after such a long day, and she felt like she deserved a little break. 

After getting into more comfortable clothes, she pulls out her phone, looking up somewhere to go for a drink, maybe something to eat. She wasn't really ready to turn in for the night quite yet. Her search turns up a pretty popular bar a few blocks away, which had stellar reviews. She raises an eyebrow, figuring that she'd give this place a shot. She pulls on her casual shoes and grabs her wallet, deciding to walk since it wasn't very far.

The walk is nice, the air getting cooler as the sun goes down, the streets seeming to light up even more with the impending night. She finds the bar after a while of walking, and she heads inside, looking around a bit. It felt very casual, very relaxed with pretty average music playing around the bar. It also seemed to be very popular, because it was nearly packed, almost all booths and tables full of people talking, laughing, and enjoying their night. Adora gets lucky that there's an empty barstool at the very end of the bar, and she lowkey hurries over to snag the seat before anyone else can. Even if it was a bit dim back here, it was still fine. 

She takes a look at one of the small menus on the bar top, looking over the list of cocktails. She doesn't notice a young woman walk behind the bar to grab a few glasses, then pausing when she sees Adora sitting there. Adora only looks up when she hears the glasses clink as the bartender puts them back down. Adora's heart skips a little beat when their eyes meet. Damn, she was… really pretty. "I'm sorry, I didn't see you come in," The bartender says with a small smile, looking her over. Huh. She could already tell she was new in town. "What can I get you, newbie?" She asks, smirking at this rather attractive customer.

Adora raises an eyebrow. "I-I'm sorry?" She asks, blinking a bit in confusion. The bartender just chuckles. 

"Nothing, nothing. It's just- it's really easy to tell you're not from here. You look a little lost," She explains, shrugging. Adora 'oh's, nodding slightly. 

"That easy, huh?" She murmurs with a smile. "Ah, you're right, I'm not from here. Just here for work," She tells her, glancing back down at the menu. The bartender raises an eyebrow, curious. 

"Work? What do you do?" She asks, and Adora goes a bit still. Mm, she wasn't really supposed to say anything about her job…this job especially.

"Nothing exciting," She answers casually, hoping she didn't hesitate for too long. "Typical office job. I got transferred for a while." 

The bartender scrunches her nose in displeasure. "Ew, an office job. I could never work in an office," She mutters, shaking her head. "Too boring."

Adora can help but laugh a little bit, setting down the menu and leaning against the counter. "Well, I like it. Do you like bartending?" She asks, and the bartender purses her lips, leaning back against the bar, crossing her arms.

"Yeah, I do. I've been doing it for about five years now, I think." She shrugs a bit, smirking. "Eh, everyone's different." Then, she leans over and taps the menu. "Picked anything yet?" 

Adora sits up straight, having sort of forgotten she was supposed to be ordering. "Right, right, um--just a Manhattan." The bartender chuckles at that.

"Of course Ms. Office Job wants a Manhattan," She teases, pushing herself off the bar and getting to work on making the drink. Adora rolls her eyes. 

"I _do_ have work tomorrow, I can't drink anything too heavy," She explains in an attempt to defend her choice. The bartender shrugs, grinning. 

"To each their own. Although, personally I'd just take a few shots and be done with it," She tells her, glancing over at her with that same grin. "You should loosen up a little bit. A few drinks won't hurt." She hands her the glass, then steps back, winking at her before walking away to finish what she'd been doing before. 

Adora watches her go, a bit surprised at that. That wink… was she supposed to take that as flirting? She can't decide as she begins sipping on her drink, thinking it over. She hadn't really been in any sort of relationship in years, and honestly it felt pretty good to feel that little bit of a thrill of being flirted with. After a little whole she's just enjoying the music and the atmosphere, and… looking at the bartender whenever she happens to walk by or stop at the bar for one reason or another. She was just… beautiful, and Adora can't help but stare. She hadn't had much human connection or communication outside of work in months, so maybe she was already partial to this woman. 

And the bartender notices. Of course she notices. Adora wasn't exactly being subtle. After about half an hour of this, the bartender walks over, leaning over the bartop and looking into Adora's eyes, making them go a bit wide at having someone be so close to her like this. Adora doesn't move, relaxing instead. "Just gonna stare at me all night?" She asks, tilting her head to the side as a grin spreads across her lips.

Adora takes a breath, her face mere inches away from the bartender's. She was barely even tipsy, but that was just enough to get her feeling a bit more bold than normal. "No. I'd rather…" She trips up on her words, and says the first thing that comes to mind. "-talk to you more." The bartender pauses for a second. Although that wasn't the answer the bartender had been hoping for--her mind had definitely been on something different--it still makes her chuckle, amused.

She leans back again. "Alright. Yeah, we can talk. What's your name, then?" 

"Adora," Adora tells her, shifting in her seat a bit as she leans on the bartop. "And yours?" 

"I'm Catra," She responds, smirking. She takes Adora's empty glass away from her. "So, are you gonna order another one of these, or…" She picks up a bottle of tequila. "Are we gonna get to the fun? My shift's over." 

Adora looks at Catra, taking a moment to decide on whether she actually wants to deal with a hangover tomorrow when she had serious work to do. Something about Catra was drawing her in, and it made her want to say yes. There wasn't any harm in spending the night with a girl. Probably against her better judgement, she nods, grinning a bit excitedly. Yeah, she could let loose every once in a while, and it her was her first night in the city, why not have some fun? Work didn't matter to her right now, even though it honestly should. What really mattered to her now was the beautiful bartender who, Adora decides, is flirting pretty heavily with her. It was just a good night, with a good woman. What's the worst that could happen? "Yeah, we can get to the fun, Catra." 

* * *

It's well past closing time by now, and Catra is left to lock up… mostly because she owned the place, and could do whatever she wanted. And right now, what she really wanted was Adora. They've been talking and drinking all night, and Catra was more than ready to take her home, but… Adora doesn't seem to have the same idea. Or if she does, she wasn't showing it. Catra knows it's risky taking a stranger back to hers, of course she knows; She's a little wary of _everyone_ she meets. But Adora…something about her made Catra feel like she could trust her. She was one of the only people she's met lately that she felt so comfortable with…

"So…" Catra leans on her hand, smirking at Adora as she rests her other hand over Adora's. "What do you say we go back to mine?" She asks quietly, and Adora goes a bit still. It's not like she didn't think about it, because she did, but... 

"I can't," She murmurs, looking at her. "I'd love to, but I have a lot of important work to do tomorrow," She explains, and Catra shakes her head. 

"It's fine, totally, don't even worry about it," She assures her with a smile. "Some other time, when you're a little less busy?" Adora chuckles quietly, shaking her head. 

"I'll try and fit you in," She says quietly, smiling a bit as she squeezes her hand. "It's really late, I should get back." 

"Yeah, I should lock up," Catra agrees, getting up. "It… was really nice, talking to you tonight," She tells her, voice soft. "I haven't met someone like you in a long time." 

Adora looks a bit surprised when she hears that, a small smile coming to her lips again. "Neither have I." 

Catra steps a bit closer, resting a hand on Adora's cheek, her thumb brushing over her lips, making Adora shiver just a little. "See you later," She whispers before leaning in and kissing her, keeping it quick and soft. Adora's drunk mind doesn't register it for a moment, but when she realizes she's been kissed, she grins. 

"Yeah. See you later." 

* * *

Adora isn't sure if her alarm could get any louder as she's abruptly woken up by that horrible ringing on her phone. She grimaces and looks over at her phone, wanting to tap the snooze button for the seventh time that morning, but she stops when she realizes it's not her alarm, but a phone call. She doesn't recognize the number, but picks up anyways. "Hello? Who's this?" Oh god, she even _sounded_ hungover.

"Adora? Hey, it's Glimmer, I was just wondering when you were gonna come in? It's almost noon now, so…" Glimmer's voice trails off a bit. "Are you okay? You sound sick." 

"I'm- I'm fine, yeah." She sits up quickly, and unfortunately, the action makes her head spin a bit, causing her stomach to turn uncomfortably. Ooh, that wasn't good. How much did she drink? "I just overslept, I'll be there as soon as I can." They exchange a quick goodbye, and Adora hangs up, gathering her composure. After taking a few slow breaths, she finally stands up, going over to her suitcase to grab clean clothes. She does take her time getting dressed, hoping to keep it together and not throw up. She should've remembered she was a lightweight… 

She grabs her bag and keys and heads out, instantly taking out her sunglasses. Goddamn… It takes her a bit longer to get to the office, but she finds her way back fairly easily. She walks inside, glancing around a bit. The receptionist sees her looking a little lost. "She's over there. Second door to the left," He says, pointing down a hall. Adora smiles.

"Thanks," She murmurs before heading down the hall and into the room, where Glimmer has shuffling through the case file.

She looks up, sighing. "Nice of you to finally show up," She murmurs, and Adora shifts nervously as she closes the door behind her.

"I'm sorry. I, um, had a long night," She tells her, setting her bag in an empty chair. "But I'm here now, so-"

"It's fine, don't worry," Glimmer assures her with a dismissive shake of her head. "What'd you do last night anyways?" She asks, raising an eyebrow. 

Adora shrugs slightly, walking over to where Glimmer's got all the papers spread out on the table. "I went out for drinks," She recalls, wincing a bit as she remembers all the shots. "I hung out with the bartender all night."

Glimmer looks pretty interested then. "Oh?" 

Adora nods, smiling at the memory of the brief kiss. "Yeah, it was really fun, we talked for hours, but… I don't think I got her number." That thought made her kind of sad; She should've asked before leaving. 

"Just go back and ask when you have the chance, she'll probably be there," She suggests. Then, she nudges her with her elbow, smirking. "Damn. You've been in town less than two days and already you're making friends, look at you go," She says with a chuckle. Adora laughs with her, glad she was able to get so comfortable with Glimmer so quickly. It was good that they were going to get along, having clearly hit it off right away… and it was kind of fun to gossip; Adora didn't get along this well with the other agents back home. They weren't exactly thrilled most cases got passed on to her… 

They get to work after getting out the last of their giggles. Their first order of business was trying again to get a hold of DT, because right now, they were the biggest lead Adora and Glimmer had. Much to their surprise--and their delight--Adora gets a text from them a little while after her last voicemail to them. 

_From: Double Trouble_

_Will you stop calling and texting me if I come in and talk? You're so annoying. Much more persistent than that mustache guy…_

Adora stares at her phone. "Well, at least they agreed to come in," She tells Glimmer, showing her the message. Glimmer grins.

"Hey, that's great. If we can get something out of them, even just a little bit of info, it'll be a help… Because I've already exhausted every other potential lead in this case," She mutters, rubbing the back of her neck. Adora shrugs, sending a text back to them real quick. 

"We'll get something out of them for sure," She says confidently as she puts her phone in her pocket. "Like they said, I'm much more persistent than Seahawk…" She puts her hands on her hips, feeling really good about this. This could potentially be a big break and another step closer to revealing Felino's true identity and disbanding this crime ring for good. She just didn't realize how close she'd already gotten to the truth. She had no idea at all...

As she cleans up the table in preparation for DT, she can't help but smile as her mind wanders to the previous night at the bar, and that amazing woman she spent it with. 

She so, so hopes she can see Catra again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes yes yes i know their names are lame  
> but anyways here’s the meanings
> 
> starke = ‘strength’ in german  
> brandstelle = ‘fire/blaze’ in german  
> brightmoon = self explanatory lmao  
> felino = ‘feline’ in spanish
> 
> there will be other’s but i’ll explain those later, in their respective chapters. 
> 
> anyways i rlly hope you enjoyed!!!!!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been meaning to update this for like 3 days,, srry

Double Trouble walks into the FBI's building, looking quite finished already They wanted to get this over with as soon as possible. Adora is there to greet them, which throws them off a little bit. She's like, right at the door almost. "Could you… take a few steps back? I'm no criminal, you don't have to watch me like that." They can't keep a straight face getting that sentence out. They were totally a criminal. 

Adora looks at the smirk on their face and rolls her eyes. "Just come with me, please," She mutters. They check them in at the front desk before leading them down that same hall and into a sort of interrogation room, where Glimmer is waiting patiently with a list of questions she's prepared ahead of time. Adora gestures for them to sit down at the other side of the table, which they do, folding their hands on top of the table.

"So. Care to tell me why you've  _ really _ asked me here?" They ask, looking between Glimmer and Adora. They smile. "Because I  _ know _ it wasn't just to ask me some silly questions about my history with the Felino mafia."

Adora crosses her arms after sitting down. "Okay. I guess you're right. Instead, we need you to tell us whatever you know, in general, about Felino's mafia. You're still associated with them according to the info we have, so it'd be wise to cooperate if you want to avoid another arrest."

DT pauses, their eyes rolling up towards the ceiling as they think of how to answer this. Alright, put on a face, keep up the act. "Alright, alright," They finally sigh with a slight nod. "That's right, I'm still in. She does  _ not _ make it easy to leave, I'll tell you that much, darlings, it's why I'm still stuck here. She'd kill me if she knew I was talking to you folks," They say with a nonchalant chuckle.

Glimmer frowns a bit. "Alright, so you're still in the mafia. Glad we've got that established." She clears her throat, going right into her questions. "Do you have any idea who Felino actually is? A real name, maybe?" She asks, looking at them expectantly.

They shrug slightly, shaking their head. "Most people aren't allowed to meet her. I just happen to be one of those people, unfortunately," They say with a sigh. "Although, I have heard she's actually very nice-" 

"Cut the crap," Adora mutters, cutting them off, looking upset. "I know you know more than you're telling us." 

"Do you  _ really _ think I'd be walking out and about if I knew anything more than what I do?" They ask her, frowning. "Honey, you don't understand the half of it. It's  _ hell _ to get out. I haven't been able to, you know, and most end up dying because she doesn't want any of her secrets revealed or whatever." They shrug again, looking away. Adora sighs impatiently.

"Is that really all you know? She asks, leaning on the table, feeling just a  _ tad _ desperate. Honestly, Felino was extremely good at covering her tracks, so DT was one of their very last hopes. "We really need anything you have that could help us." 

DT feigns thinking for a moment, sighing. God, it was difficult to throw them off. Blondie was really being _so_ pushy… it's a good thing they knew of another way to get them off their trail. "Well…" They finally sigh, putting their chin in their hand as they lean against the table. "First… tell me what I get in exchange for information." They grin at the two of them, looking Adora right in the eyes. "Because I'd be happy to give you give you something good if you sweeten the offer a bit." They wink at her, and Adora frowns, huffing and backing away, crossing her arms. 

"Is avoiding another arrest nor good enough?" She asks, bewildered. "What the hell?" 

They shake their head, smirking. "Nah, what I've got is worth more than that. C'mon, I'm sure you've got something, darling." 

Adora doesn't say anything a moment, thinking this over. "How do we know if you're telling the truth?" She finally demands, and DT feigns offense.

"Do I look like a liar to you?" They ask, pressing a hand to their heart. "I would  _ never _ lie to law enforcement, I'll have you know," They insist sarcastically, and Adora rubs her temples, closing her eyes. 

"Fine. I'm sorry," She mutters, shaking her head. DT wonders if she picked up on their sarcasm there, but they guess not. She looks to Glimmer, who already has gears turning, thinking. "What?"

Glimmer leans in close to Adora's ear. "There was a ten-thousand dollar reward put out for anyone who had information on Felino's identity or anyone who had connections to her. Offer it to them." 

Adora takes this in, then smirks, nodding slightly. DT watches the two of them expectantly, then Adora speaks. "Ten-thousand dollars,  _ if _ your info is legit. How does that sound?" She asks, looking back at them as she sits back down next to Glimmer. DT's eyebrows raise in surprise.

"Well, that's quite the number," They say, visibly pleased. "Alright, darling, you've got me. I'll talk." Glimmer and Adora both sigh in relief, and Glimmer picks up her pen again.

"Okay, tell us," Glimmer says, prepared to write. 

DT nods, pretending to try and remember something. "So… I just so happen to know someone who got out of the mafia a few years ago. He's a quiet guy, pretty shy for someone who used to be in the mafia, but he actually knew Felino personally… or so he said," They tell them with a smirk. "Is  _ that _ helpful?"

Glimmer is already writing this down, a bit surprised they're getting an actual lead. "It'd be more helpful if we had a name, Double Trouble," Glimmer mumbles as she writes. She looks up at them then, tapping her pen against the notepad impatiently. "Please."

Adora is definitely listening now. "Do you remember it?" 

DT once more pretends to think about it. Of course they remember it. They were the one who actually helped kick him out… literally. "Ah." They smile, pretending to suddenly remember. "His name is Kyle. Pelokas, if I remember correctly. I don't think he's in your special file there, though, he's been out for years now," They inform the two agents, gesturing to the file. "Just look him up or whatever you people do, I'm sure he's there somewhere." They were honestly only telling them this because Kyle was a dead end. He wouldn't talk. It was true, he had known Catra personally, and it was also true that he'd left on his own accord. However, if you happen to survive leaving, if you say even a word about Catra's true identity, she'd know about it, and you'd be killed. It was terrifying, but DT knows Kyle won't actually say anything. He's too scared, he's always been scared. This line of work never suited him… and it was far easier to corner him than these agents think.

Glimmer quickly writes the name down. "Thanks--wow, okay, this is great," She murmurs, looking up and smiling at DT. "That actually helps a lot," She says, glancing at Adora. They had another lead. They had to be getting  _ somewhere  _ with this. 

"That is great, but," Adora rests her hands on the table. "Is there anything else we need to know?" She asks quietly, looking into DT's eyes. DT raises an eyebrow before looking away uncomfortably. 

"Not that I can think of," They say with a slight shrug. "Like I've said, I don't know anything else… that I'm willing to share, anyway." Their words slowly trail off into mumbles. 

Frowning, Adora narrows her eyes. "Excuse me?" She asks, tilting her head slightly. "What is that supposed to mean?" 

"It means that I'm not putting my life in danger for you. I've told you all that I can and all that I'm able to," They explain, shaking their head quickly. "I'm not saying anything else." 

Adora sighs. Alright, at least they got  _ somewhere  _ today. "Fine. But you call me if you think of anything else, understand?" 

DT nods, holding up their hand and pressing the other to their heart. "You have my word, Ms. Adora," They swear, grinning. 

Adora huffs and rolls her eyes. "Dismissed." 

* * *

"I think I threw them off our trail well enough for now, got us a little more time," DT says into their phone, having been called by Catra after their meeting. "They totally bought my act."

"That's-" She sighs, rubbing the bridge of her nose in frustration. "That's great, Double Trouble, but what did you tell them?" Catra asks impatiently, sounding pretty frustrated. They were cutting it too close… She wanted to crush her phone right now.

"I told them I didn't know anything, but… I did tell them about Kyle." 

That gets Catra's attention. "Why the hell did you do that?" She asks, stiffening up a bit at the mention of his name. God, she hadn't seen or heard from him in years…

"They're gonna be so busy looking into that 'lead' that it'll buy us a little more time to work things out," DT explains casually, rolling their eyes. "You should be thanking me." 

"I don't wanna have to kill him," Catra murmurs, ignoring them. "I really don't. You know him, you know how weak-minded he is after all this, especially after being arrested. So why the hell did you tell them about  _ Kyle _ of all people?" She asks them, her voice quiet and a bit strained. "Because if he talks, it's all over for him, and for us." 

DT sighs, shaking their head as they get in their car, putting their phone on speaker, setting it on the dash. "Catra, honey, I wouldn't have sent them to Kyle if I thought he was gonna talk. Self-sabotage is  _ not _ something I'm very interested in. And anyways, I love the hell out of you. I couldn't give you up like that." 

Catra doesn't respond for a moment. "Fine. But you better hope you're right," She warns them quietly. "You know what I'm capable of."

"Oh, hush. Your threats never worked on me, Kitten," They say with a little chuckle. "Anyways, I've got some agents to tail so I'll let you go."

Catra just sighs before she hangs up the phone, making DT smile a bit more. Ah, they loved her. She liked to pretend that she was all badass, but she was really a big softie. They knew that she was a little scared right now, so they really do hope things blow over...

* * *

Glimmer leads Adora into an elevator, pressing the button for a few floors below ground level. Adora glances around the elevator. "So, where are we headed?" She asks. Glimmer puts her hands behind her back. 

"Down to our tech people. They work with stuff like cyber security, cyber crimes, information and databases, stuff like that," She explains, and Adora smirks, not saying anything for a moment. 

Then, she rests a hand on Glimmer's shoulder. "I know what they do. We have the same division back at my home office, Glimmer. Everyone does." Glimmer's face almost immediately grows warm with embarrassment. 

"God. I- Yeah, you're right, I don't know what I was-" She shakes her head, huffing. "I'm sorry," She finally settles on, and Adora laughs. 

"It's fine, don't worry about it," She assures her, patting her back. When the elevator opens just a few seconds later, Glimmer sighs and leads her out. 

"A-Anyways, we're gonna talk to our specialist. She's spectacular, honestly," Glimmer says, opening a door. Inside, Adora is surprised to see actually a rather large workspace for the people in the cyber division. A lot of desks, a lot of research space and computers… Huh. Neat. They walk over to a woman intensely focused on her computer, her eyes narrowed as she types something out. She doesn't notice Glimmer and Adora walk up to her until Glimmer clears her throat. The woman doesn't look up. Glimmer puts her hands on her hips. "Entrapta?" 

The woman jumps a bit at hearing her name. Well, that sure caught her attention. "Yes- yes, hi- Oh, hey, Glimmer. What brings you down here?" She asks with a smile, not really acknowledging Adora's presence aside from a glance every now and then. 

"We actually need you to look someone up for us," Glimmer explains. "We've got Adora Starke here to help us look into the Felino mob." 

Entrapta hums quietly, not fazed at all by Adora, nodding slightly. "Yeah, they sure have been causing trouble lately." She pauses, thinking. "Alright, who did you want me to look up?" She asks, turning back towards her computer and opening up the known criminal database. 

"Kyle Pelokas," Adora says before Glimmer can speak, hoping to get some recognition here. Entrapta's eyebrows raise and she looks at Adora, recognizing the name. He was pretty well known for a while amongst local police and the cyber division, who were constantly updating their database, because of how young he was when he did this. The kid looked nothing like someone who would be associated with the fucking  _ mafia _ , or someone who would commit such a crime as his. And honestly, he looked a little pathetic in his mugshot… 

"That mob kid the police arrested a few years ago?" She asks, confused. "Why do you need him?" 

"You know him?" Adora asks, and Entrapta shakes her head. 

"I know  _ of _ him, yeah. I helped the police profile him," She explains, looking back at her computer. "So, why did you need him again?" She types in his name. 

"Another associate we questioned told us he had information on Felino's real identity," Glimmer explains, looking at the computer screen. Entrapta pauses for just a split second before hitting enter for the search.

"It's been years, it's kinda weird he's being brought up now…" She mumbles, scrolling for a second until she finds his picture. She clicks it, loading up his profile. "What do you need?" She asks, scanning the screen and scrolling quickly. 

"Address and phone number," Adora says, and Entrapta shakes her head, having already taken in all currently relevant information. 

"He's still in juvie," She tells them, narrowing her eyes at the screen. "His address and number won't really-" 

" _ Juvie _ ?!" Adora chokes out. "How old  _ is _ this kid?" Adora asks, her eyes wide in shock.

"Looks like was fifteen when he was arrested, and he should be transferring to an adult prison soon since he's eighteen now… unless he's granted parole, that is," She explains with a shrug, looking at the screen again. "His hearing is apparently--oh, his hearing is the day after tomorrow." She looks at them, smiling. "How convenient for you."

Adora doesn't say anything, just thinking, and Glimmer rests a hand on her shoulder. "What do you wanna do, Adora?" She asks, and Adora just sighs. 

"Let's wait a few days, take a little break, see what happens," She decides, frowning. "I don't wanna stress him out anymore than he probably already is." Glimmer nods in understanding. 

"Yeah, you're probably right." She looks at Entrapta. "Can you give us his information anyways?" She asks. "If he's granted parole, we're gonna need it." 

Entrapta nods slightly, turning back to her computer and hitting the print button on his whole profile. She waits a moment for the page to print, then hands it to Glimmer. "Alright, there you go." She smiles, leaning against her desk. "Is there anything else I can help you with?" She asks, looking between them. 

Adora takes a second, then she nods. "If you could get us a list of any other people who have ties to the Felino mafia, old or new, that'd be amazing. We're kinda stuck, lead wise, and it'd be great to potentially have some lead on her identity or like, where she's operating," She explains, and Entrapta nods. 

"Sure, no problem," She responds with a nod. "Come back in a few days, I'll have it ready. The Felino mafia isn't exactly small, y'know, I might actually have others help me rifle through the database with me," She murmurs thoughtfully. 

Adora and Glimmer nod, and they say a quick thanks and a goodbye before heading back up to the main floor. Adora and Glimmer both look at the sheet of paper they were given once back in the elevator. "Wow. He really doesn't look like he has mafia associations," Adora murmurs, looking at his mugshot. "He looks terrified in this."

"And kinda beat up," Glimmer adds as she looks at the sheet in Adora's hand, wincing a bit. "Jeez, I wonder what mess he got into…" 

Adora sighs, skimming over his arrest information really quick. "...holy shit," She whispers, eyebrows raised. "He was arrested for  _ murder _ ," She whispers. "Fifteen years old and...he did something like that." Glimmer can hardly believe it when Adora tells her. How did someone so young get caught up in  _ that _ big of a mess? 

That was something they'd have to figure out later when they questioned him…in prison or otherwise. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ive just been trying to find words that have relevant meaning to the characters, but also sound like last names lmao............ so  
> pelokas = finnish for 'fearful'
> 
> also, while I kept forgetting to post ch 2, I ended up finishing 3 and starting 4 :| I'm on a roll for some reason idk


	3. Chapter 3

After parting ways later that night, Adora heads back to her hotel room with a small headache starting to come up. She's just a little frustrated with how difficult things were, but honestly, she shouldn't have expected this to be easy, even with her skill and experience. And now, she had what felt like years of downtime, even if it was only a few days. She gets back into her comfy clothes, plopping down onto her bed face first. She begins trying to wind down at least a little bit before she had to go to bed, thinking of ordering in, maybe watching a movie… but her mind, of course, wanders back to Catra. Ah, Catra… Oh! Adora quickly sits up. Maybe she'd be back at the bar tonight. Maybe she could actually get her number this time instead of forgetting in a drunken haze.

She grabs her keys and wallet a bit more excitedly than intended, and heads right to the bar--after a quick Maps search, that is. She didn't want to get lost. Once there, she walks inside, taking a look around. It was much busier than before, and Adora realizes then that it's Friday night, and people were much more inclined to be out and living it up. The bar was completely full, and, to Adora's dismay, there's a different bartender working tonight. Adora frowns slightly, hating the feeling of disappointment she feels as she starts stepping out the door. Who was she to get upset when she'd just barely met this woman? 

On accident, her back bumps into someone, someone who quickly grabs her arms to steady her. "Hey, be careful-" Adora quickly turns around. 

"I'm  _ so _ sorry, I-" She stops when she realizes just who she's bumped into. "Catra," She murmurs, relieved it wasn't a total stranger. "Hi."

Catra grins, pleasantly surprised. "Hey," She says quietly, dropping her hands from Adora's arms. "What are you doing back so soon?" She asks, and Adora brushes her hair behind her ear. 

"I actually came to see you," She admits, smiling sheepishly. "I didn't get your number last night, so I was hoping…" 

Catra nods slightly. "Mm, I see." She steps a bit closer, tilting Adora's chin up. "One little kiss and you already can't get enough of me?" She asks, her voice low. Adora's face goes red. 

"I-I-" She's trying not to laugh, visibly nervous. "No, that's not it- Well, maybe it's  _ kind of _ it-"

"I'm just teasing," Catra says with a little laugh. Adora gasps quietly, gently smacking Catra's arm. Catra can't help but laugh a bit more. "Well, I was just gonna come for a drink, but… this is much better. You looked so nervous for a sec there, you okay?"

Adora huffs. "Look… I've had a long day at work, and I just wanna… relax, and I wanted to see you again- not that those two things are related, because they're not, but-"

"You don't get around much, do you?" Catra asks, interrupting her before she can start rambling, an eyebrow raised. "Because you're awfully hot and bothered just from a little teasing."

Adora looks away, huffing. "Okay. Yeah. I don't 'get around', I'm not that type of person. I'm always so busy with work, I don't have time for much of a social life. I haven't had an actual, like, steady girlfriend since high school." 

Catra puts her hands on her hips, whistling. "I bet that was… a while ago, huh?" She asks, and Adora nods, crossing her arms, slightly embarrassed. 

"Yeah. It's been about ten years since I graduated and left my girlfriend," She mutters, sighing. "It's honestly kind of embarrassing." 

Catra purses her lips in thought, thinking for just a second or two. "Well...it's a good thing neither of us are looking for a girlfriend then, huh? You're busy with work, and I don't do girlfriends, so… Why don't you take a chance, have a little fun?"

Adora looks at her. "What do you mean?"

"I mean…" She moves a hand to Adora's waist. "I'm attracted to you, and you're so obviously attracted to me-" Adora laughs, rolling her eyes. Catra just smirks. "… why don't we do something about that? No strings attached." She asks, her voice barely above a whisper as she leans in close, making Adora shiver. "You said you had too much work before… are you free yet?"

Adora takes a moment to think. Could she really do this? She  _ genuinely  _ could not remember the last time she had sex, it was that long ago. Adora bites her lip, and Catra smirks, knowing she's getting to her. "I literally cannot remember the last time I…" Her voice kind of trails off, a bright blush coming to her cheeks as she grows more and more embarrassed, feeling bad for this amazing, confident woman standing in front of her right now when she was the complete opposite. 

Catra doesn't say anything to that. "Let's go back to mine," She murmurs, not even worried about it. 

Adora didn't do this kind of thing. She wasn't someone to just give herself up like this, especially to a stranger; Her coworkers back home were honestly pretty right--she was far too stiff to let this loose. But Catra… goddamn, things with her felt so much different, and she has no idea why. She's known her for a day and already she's willing. Adora closes her eyes, then nods slightly. "Yeah. I'm free now." 

* * *

Adora is breathless, one of her hands still gripping the sheets below her even after Catra has calmed down and cuddled up to her. Catra looks extremely pleased with herself as she presses a soft kiss to Adora's cheek. "That good, huh?" 

"You… you really know what you're doing," Adora whispers, looking at her and giving her a shaky smile. God, her whole body was still hot and tingly, everything just felt… amazing. Way better than whatever she could do to herself. 

Catra smirks and shrugs. "I've had a bit of practice," She murmurs teasingly, reaching over and loosening Adora's grip on the sheets, instead lacing their fingers. 

Adora just chuckles, closing her eyes. They both sit in silence for a moment, both just a little close to sleep, before Adora speaks up, her voice soft. "Thank you," She says quietly, and Catra looks up at her through partially closed eyes.

"Hm? For what?" 

"For… I don't know. Helping me loosen up. I've been too focused on work for  _ years  _ and this is the first time in a long, long time that I've really done something like this," She tells her, looking back at her. "I don't know what it is about you."

Catra rests a hand on her cheek, unable to form a response. That was the sweetest thing anyone's ever said about her- and Catra felt the same. Catra didn't know how long Adora was in town for, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to ask. Something about Adora was just...magnetic. "Same here," Is what Catra finally says, having gathered her thoughts. Adora can't help but chuckle, cuddling up closer to her. Ah, it was good enough. 

With that, the lights are out for good, and they fall asleep in each other's arms. 

Unfortunately, they're both rudely woken up the next day by Catra's phone ringing pretty loudly and insistently. And when Catra declines it, half asleep, whoever it is calls her right back. Catra groans, sad when Adora shifts away from her, turning over. She sits up and picks up her phone, not bothering to look at the caller ID. "What?" 

"Catra, where the hell are you? You were supposed to meet with our FBI mole today, she said she had some important stuff to talk over, remember?" It's Double Trouble, and they honestly sound kind of pissed.

Catra is confused; that meeting wasn't until ten, and it was--oh fuck. Catra feels a pang of panic when she realizes she and Adora slept  _ far _ later than intended… because it was noon. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry, I overslept," She murmurs tiredly into her phone, stumbling out of bed and trying to find clothes. "I'll be there soon, don't worry." Adora finally sits up, watching her. She doesn't know who Catra is on the phone with, and she can't make anything out, but it sounded a bit urgent. 

Without asking if she should, Adora gets out of bed and starts gathering her clothes, putting them back on. She wasn't in a rush; She had a couple days to relax while Kyle's hearing went on, and Entrapta gathered the information she requested. Catra hangs up the phone just a moment later, and she sets it back on her nightstand as she pulls on a pair of jeans. "Everything okay?" Adora asks, and Catra nods. 

"I just, um." Shit, come on brain, wake up! Make an excuse! "I was supposed to start my shift at the bar, I'm late." Nice save. Adora seems to believe it, because she nods in understanding. 

"Yeah, you should get over there," She says, pulling on her shirt. Catra looks over at her, unable to help but feel sad they couldn't stay in bed longer. 

"My number," Catra murmurs, suddenly remembering that was basically the entire reason Adora went out the previous night. She looks around for a piece of paper, but of course she didn't have one. So she holds out her hand, silently requesting Adora's phone, which Adora hands over with a pleased smile. Catra then hands hers over so they can exchange. Catra quickly inputs her number before handing it back, and Adora does the same. "There. Alright, um, I really have to go, so…" Catra nods her head towards the door, and Adora grabs the rest of her belongings and starts walking. 

"Right, right, sorry," She murmurs as Catra ushers her out the door. Once outside, Catra pulls Adora in for a quick, reassuring kiss. 

"I'll text you later, okay?" She murmurs, and Adora nods, giving Catra a soft smile. Catra gives her one last kiss before getting in her car, which is parked by the curb, and drives off. Adora watches her go before she sighs, smiling a little to herself. 

That went  _ so _ much better than she expected. She bites her lip before starting to walk back to her hotel, having paid a bit more attention to her surroundings last time she left. It's a good thing the downtown area was pretty small, and that Catra lived and worked right in the heart of it. She unlocks her room and goes inside, walking over and sitting down on her bed. Pleased, she lies back, closing her eyes. She actually really hoped she could keep seeing Catra. It was all so fast, and she realized that, but she was only here for a while. She knew she'd never be white to do this back home. So she decides she'll keep this up. 

She could maintain work and her social life; Lots of people did it, it should be no problem. And Catra… she wanted her around for as long as she could have her.

* * *

Catra parks in the alley behind the bar, sneaking into a side entrance completely concealed from the public. Back here was the 'back house' of the bar where most of her illegal operations and conversations took place; her base, if you will. In plain sight, but still hidden away.

"You're late," DT mutters, crossing their arms as Catra walks inside, flustered. 

"I know, I'm sorry," Catra apologizes with a sigh, walking over to the table where DT and their FBI mole/informant was sitting. She takes a seat, smiling apologetically at the informant. "I'm sorry for making you wait so long, really. What was it you wanted to discuss?" 

The informant smiles, leaning across the table. "Well, a couple of the agents apparently asked for some info on who has connections to us so they can get more information on your identity or base of operations. Old arrests, new arrests, stuff like that." 

Catra frowns, not liking the sound of that at all. "And?" 

"Don't worry, I've gone in and wiped everything," She assures Catra. "Everything relevant, anyways," She corrects herself. "Just tampered with certain information, it's nothing that would be noticed unless they went into the database looking for specifics. I think I got to it before anyone looked into it anyways, so they won't find anything related to us."

Catra breathes a sigh of relief. "That's amazing, thank you for that--and thank you for working with me." 

The informant chuckles, waving her hand in dismissal. "Oh, hush. It's no problem. I was getting kinda bored, needed something to keep me busy." It was true; she'd actually discovered Catra's identity herself, looking through every last miniscule crumb of information and evidence, staying up long nights and working tirelessly, having invested so much into solving this case, and eventually she finally deduced it down to where her base was, and that is was… Catra. Just to be sure before she mentioned it to her superiors (and to save herself embarrassment if she’d been wrong, because of how much work she’d done), she'd gone to confront Catra about everything. She’d been right, but Catra miraculously managed to sweet-talk her into becoming their 'inside informant'. Eyes from the inside. She isn’t sure why she accepted, but… well, Catra was a great manipulator, and she’d become a mole inside the FBI...and nobody knew it was her. 

She took pride in that little fact. She wasn’t sure if anyone would ever know, and that made both of her jobs so much easier. Catra sighs. “Well...I’m just glad you caught that in time,” She murmurs, running a hand through her hair. “So, aside from that—I’ve been meaning to ask—can you tell me if there’s new profiles for me on any new agents or officers in the city? I know they’ve brought in more manpower or whatever since the fucking dumbasses keep causing trouble…”

The informant purses her lips. “Yeah, I know of a few new ones. Brandstelle hasn’t gotten the proper paperwork filed for a couple of them, so I have to try and go in and get their files from their home offices or departments. That could take a little while, but I should have them to you soon, okay?”

Catra nods. “Sure, no problem,” She responds, smiling a bit. DT, who is sitting beside Catra, leans against the table.

“Thank you for working with us, sweetheart, it does mean a lot that you’re helping keep this little empire we’ve got afloat,” They say, gently pinching her cheek with a grin.

The informant just smirks, nudging their hand away. “Well, I’m not upset with the pay raise, so…” She stands up. “Anyways, I’ve got a couple systems to hack into, so I’ll see you guys later.” She gives the two of them a little salute before walking out, closing the door behind her.

The second the door shuts, DT turns to Catra, looking incredibly pissed rather suddenly. "Do you have  _ any _ idea how important that informant's alliance is?" They demand, their voice low. Catra rolls her eyes.

"Obviously I know,  _ I _ hired her," She says with a shake of her head. "It's not a big deal, I was only a little late-" 

"You were  _ two _ . Fucking.  _ Hours _ , Catra," They say bitterly, looking just as upset as they sound. "We cannot afford to lose her when things are this tense, when everything could come apart at any second."

Catra's eyebrows raise in surprise, and she's kind of amazed that they'd speak to her like this. "You've got a lot of nerve talking to me like I don't know what's at stake right now, Double Trouble. I know what I'm doing, today was just… an off day. I had a long night."

"Is that why you were late today? What were you even doing?" They ask, visibly upset. "What's more important than keeping our business safe?" 

Catra stares at them for a moment before she just smiles. "Fine. I met a girl a couple days ago, and she spent the night with me last night," She explains simply, shrugging. 

DT groans. "Oh God, please tell me you aren't going to start dating right now," They grumble, putting their head in their hands. " _ Please _ tell me you aren't putting a civilian at risk." 

"First of all," Catra starts off, holding up a single finger. "I never said anything about dating. We're just having some fun while she's here for work, and you know I don't do dating anyways." 

DT pauses. 'Here for work'? That doesn't exactly sit right with them, but Catra continues without a care. 

"She's actually really sweet. Said something really nice to me last night. It's kind of amazing how…" DT tunes her out, not wanting to hear her blab on about a girl she'd forget about in a few days anyways. 

What they're more focused on is the fact, in the midst of all the new government personnel arriving, here's this woman in town only 'here for work'. DT holds up a hand in the middle of Catra's sentence. "Sorry, but what do you mean 'here for work'?" 

Catra stops, raising an eyebrow. "She has some shitty office job, she's here as, like, a temp or whatever. Why?" She asks, confused. DT looks at her, kind of amazed she doesn't see it, being as careful as she always is. 

They decide not to say anything, not wanting to make her overly paranoid; if she didn't sense a problem, then there was probably nothing to worry about. Catra was always on top of that stuff. They supposed they'd find out who this mystery girl was sooner or later anyways. "Just be careful," They say with a slight shrug, standing up. "And don't let some girl get in the way of business." 

Catra just rolls her eyes as she gets up. "Yeah, I'm not an idiot."

* * *

A few days later, Adora is propped up against the headboard of her bed, the TV on and turned to some weird reality show that Adora could not figure out what it was about. But it didn't matter much, she was much more focused on the laptop in her lap. She was looking up news articles and such to try and find any useful information on this mafia, but so far she wasn't having any luck finding things she didn't already know. She does, however, come across an article that was written after Kyle's arrest three years ago. Raising an eyebrow, she clicks the link and opens the article. 

The picture up above it is, of course, Kyle's timid, scared looking mugshot. The headline was, 'Teenage Mobster Commits Gruesome Murder', and Adora winces. Jeez, they could've come up with a better title… Upon actually reading the article, Adora learns that Kyle was ten when he was orphaned, and that while he was in foster care, he spent most of his time out on the streets. He ended up getting swept up in the wrong crowd, and suddenly found himself in the center of the mafia ring. The article says, to Adora's surprise, that Kyle had known the leader personally but refused to say  _ anything  _ about them or how he got there upon being arrested. So DT was telling the truth about him… She isn't really sure why that's surprising to her.

Due to his refusal to give up the leader's identity, Kyle hadn't been offered any plea deals. The court, luckily, decided not to try him as an adult at first, mostly because of how small and timid he was. He may have been fifteen, but he certainly didn't really look it. Regardless, he was sentenced only to ten years, and sent to Juvie while waiting for his eighteenth birthday, when he'd be transferred to  _ prison _ prison. 

She whistles lowly before clicking out of the article and closing her laptop. Damn, she really wanted to talk to this kid. Get the whole picture. She sets her laptop down and picks up her phone, hoping to see a text from Catra. 

They'd been talking on and off, here and there, had a few phone calls and exchanged a lot of texts… and Adora had gone to her place again once. It's only been days but already Adora's been swept off her feet. To her pleasant surprise, Catra has texted her- a couple times, even.

_ From: Catra _

_ heyyy adora _

_ From: Catra _

_ are you free again tonight? it's stupid but i kinda already miss you… _

Adora grins at her screen, feeling her heart leap a little bit. God, this was great. Maybe it was because Catra was a great person, or maybe it was because Catra was the first person she’s gone out with in  _ years _ , but she’s far more than willing to spend more time with her… But she gets another text, this time from Glimmer.

_ From: Glimmer _

_ Hey. You free? Entrapta needs us at the office. She said something happened with the database. _

Adora frowns, sitting up a bit straighter. That didn't sound good. 

_ From: Me _

_ "Something"? What do you mean? _

_ From: Glimmer _

_ She didn’t tell me what, but she said it was important. And she has news on Kyle’s trial. _

Adora bites her lip before switching to Catra’s chat, feeling a bit disappointed.

_ From: Me _

_ No, I’m so sorry. As much as I'd love that, something happened at work and I need to help sort it out. _

_ From: Me _

_ Can I take a rain check? _

_ From: Catra _

_ sure, no problem. just let me know and i’ll clear my schedule for you _

Adora smiles, biting her lip, before locking her phone, setting it down and getting up. Ah, that was definitely a good sign, she guesses. She tells Glimmer she'll be there soon, then grabs some clean work clothes and gets dressed, sighing. She does hope, however, that whatever happened with work wasn’t too serious. 

* * *

Catra stares at her phone screen from where she sits on her couch, biting her lip in thought. How could she have let herself feel for Adora even in the slightest? It was… dangerous, for both of them. Catra, because she now had someone who could potentially ID her if shit went down, and Adora because she's now, without her knowledge, fucking the leader of a notoriously huge crime ring. Catra groans, tossing her phone to the side, putting her face in her hands. She feels stupid, because how could she have fallen for someone in just a few days? How was it even possible? That love at first sight bullshit didn't exist… did it? 

Now wasn't the time to think about that. Right now, she had something else to worry about. She'd just learned, thanks to DT, that  Kyle has been granted parole and would be getting out for good in a couple days. She knew those agents DT talked to would be on him like hawks once he was released, and Catra was  _ not _ going to have that. No, she had to make triple sure that Kyle wouldn't talk. If her informant really had cleared all that information like she said she did, Kyle was really their last lead in finding anything out. She huffs and grabs her car keys. 

She wasn't going to let him say anything. 

* * *

Adora heads right to work, a few different scenarios going on in her head. Maybe Entrapta found more leads, maybe she didn’t. Maybe Kyle was being sent to prison, maybe he got parole. She wasn’t really sure, but she hoped for the more positive scenarios. She parks her car, then heads inside, where Glimmer meets her at the door, looking distraught. “Finally,” She mutters, grabbing Adora’s hand.

Adora raises an eyebrow, confused. “What’s wrong? What happened?” She asks as Glimmer pulls her towards the elevator.

Glimmer sighs, hitting the button and letting her go. “Entrapta can explain it in better detail, but… She thinks maybe something glitched.” Adora’s brow furrows. Yeah, Entrapta could probably explain it better… Upon getting down to the lab, Entrapta jumps up from her desk, looking frantic.

“Oh! Good, you’re finally here!” She exclaims, grabbing them both and leading them to her computer. “So, I'd started to compile a list of possible leads a few days ago, and when I went back to the database to finish up, every single profile I’d marked had been completely erased of any of the information I needed,” She says, tapping the screen. “I don’t know if it was a glitch in the system or what, but it's all just… gone,” She whispers, looking bewildered and worried. “I thought maybe someone had hacked into the database, but I didn’t find any evidence of it- not to mention it’s an extremely secure network, so whoever did it would have to-“

“Entrapta,” Adora quickly interrupts, holding up her hands to quiet her. “What do you mean the information is gone?” She asks, glancing at Glimmer, who looks just as upset.

“I mean, the info is  _ gone _ . And it’s not just evidence of their ties to Felino, it's  _ everything  _ about their arrests. There’s not really any evidence that these people were arrested for their work with her at all. Someone must’ve known that we were digging into the case more,” She speculates, visibly concerned as she scrolls through the lists again. “I’ve looked three times over to try and find more, but there’s just...nothing even  _ related _ to Felino.”

Adora covers her mouth as she looks over Entrapta’s shoulder, looking at the screen. “Shit.  _ Fuck _ -“ She steps away, frustrated. “What the hell are we supposed to do now?” She asks, starting to get angry.

Glimmer runs a hand through her hair. “Hey, look,” She tries to calm Adora a little bit. “We all know that Felino has been  _ seriously  _ on top of things, there’s no telling what she’s done to wipe that database.”

Entrapta nods slightly. “She’s  _ incredibly _ good at covering up her tracks,” She murmurs, shaking her head a bit. “It’s...just another way she keeps herself in power. Whatever she’s doing, whoever she has working for her is keeping us from catching her.”

Adora rubs her hands over her face. “How is she doing this?” She whispers, more to herself than anything. “I don’t understand.”

Entrapta and Glimmer both don’t respond, because they’re honestly just as stumped as Adora is. After a moment or two, Entrapta sighs. “Look...I’ll do my best to see if I can find any sort of backups or anything on the profiles,” She says, looking back at the computer. “I’m pretty sure we have a whole backup database, I-I’ll just have to get access.” She starts typing something, and Glimmer and Adora exchange a look, relieved.

“Thanks for all your help, Entrapta, seriously,” Glimmer says quietly, patting Entrapta’s back. Entrapta hums and nods, now focused on getting into the backup. Adora shakes her head, remembering something just then.

“Wait, wait- You said there was an update on Kyle’s trial?” She reminds Entrapta, who pauses, stopping her typing.

“Ah! Right!” She turns and looks at them. “He got parole!” She exclaims, clapping a bit. “I’ve already made contact with the detention center, and they understand that he’s to be released to us—due to him having ties to an official FBI investigation—until you guys can question him.”

Adora and Glimmer both breathe a sigh of relief. “Great. That’s great, at least we still have that lead,” She says, smiling a bit. Kyle was basically their last hope now that the profiles were gone. 

Entrapta puts her hands together, holding them in front of her. "However," She murmurs before lowering her hands. "He's not being released for a few more days." 

Adora closes her eyes. God. This was agony. She just wanted to solve this damn case already… "That's fine," She mutters. "That'll give you time to get to the backup anyways," She justifies, shaking her head. On one hand, she hated all this downtime because each day that passed was another day Felino was still out there scheming. But on the other hand… all this downtime meant more time with Catra--hopefully, anyways. Right now, it seemed pretty good, so she'd hold onto that.

With some last reassurance from Entrapta, Glimmer and Adora head out, both only feeling slightly better about this shitty situation. They hoped they could get somewhere soon.

* * *

Catra walks into the detention center's visiting room after being given a pass. Her assumed identity--Kyle's foster/adopted sister--turned no heads as she sat down to meet with him. Upon hearing that his 'sister' had come to see him, Kyle immediately knew who'd come to visit, and he knew this visit would  _ not _ be good. He wants to tell them he won't accept but Catra might actually kill him for that, so he follows the guard to the visitation room. Catra is waiting patiently at one of the tables, her hands folded on top of it. 

Kyle begrudgingly walks over and sits down in front of her. "Catra," He greets her, his voice tight and nervous. Catra smiles slightly. 

"Kyle. Heard you were getting out. That you got parole," She tells him, leaning a bit closer. Kyle nods slightly. 

"Yeah, I get out in a couple days. They have to process some stuff, I guess," He affirms, glancing away. "Look, why are you here?" He asks, wincing. He didn't want anything more to do with her. He really,  _ really _ didn't.

Catra doesn't respond for a moment, then she sighs, leaning in even closer and lowering her voice so just Kyle can hear. "You see, there's been a new investigation launched. On  _ me _ . And you're the  _ only _ lead they've got. So if anyone comes to talk to you, you will not say one goddamn word about it."

"I know," He says with a sigh, shaking his head. "I'm not an idiot, Catra," He mutters, crossing his arms. Catra scoffs. 

"Yeah, and you totally didn't get caught for murder, right?" She asks with a frown, narrowing her eyes. Kyle glares at her.

"You know just as well I do that-" He stops, shutting his eyes. No, he won't get into that, not now, not with her. He sighs, frustrated. "I won't say anything about you. You know I won't." 

Catra nods, smiling. "Good. Glad I got that cleared up." She reaches over and ruffles his hair, which has actually gotten longer since she last saw him. Huh. Cute. "See you soon, Kyle." She winks and stands up, turning and walking out without any further words. Kyle watches her go, grimacing as he fixes his hair as best he can. He wasn't looking forward to being out, not anymore. 

He really thought he'd been done with that, done with  _ her _ , but it was becoming clear that he wasn't, and that he probably wouldn't ever be. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am sorry i took so long to update :/ i’ve had the chapter ready for weeks but i told myself not to update until i had at least one extra chapter done...so 5 will take a little longer to come out after this. i’ll try to finish it quick tho

Adora and Glimmer both take deep breaths.

Kyle was being released into their custody--  _ finally _ . His release had been delayed by a week because the detention center not only lost  _ all _ the files of his release paperwork somehow (they were still trying to figure it out), but had to file completely different paperwork to make sure the FBI could take him in for questioning right off the bat. It left Adora and Glimmer  _ extremely  _ frustrated and upset, hating how long this was all taking. It should've been an easy few days, but instead it turned into a week of agonizing waiting, with no other information coming their way to fill their time and fuel their investigation. Glimmer had other cases to work on and other things to do, since this was her home office, but Adora was sent for one specific case, and that case only. She was just… sitting there and waiting. 

She  _ did _ spend most of that time hanging out with Catra, which happened to be a great stress reliever. She hoped, however, that she didn't come off as too stressed and anxious; She didn't want to have to explain that her job was not just some lame office job, but something much more important instead. She couldn't. 

But that wasn't something to think about now. Everything has been worked out and sorted and they're all on the right track,  _ finally _ . They were both very,  _ very _ eager to get on with the questioning already. They'd spent the last couple days coming up with a few questions they might ask, preparing to really grill him if they have to. Glimmer smiles. "Alright. We gotta think positive. We'll totally get him to talk," She murmurs, trying to speak it into existence. 

Adora nods in agreement. "Yeah. Yeah, definitely," She says, taking another deep breath. Adora's phone buzzes in her pocket, and she takes it out and looks at it. It was a text from Catra, saying she hopes she's having a good day and to text her soon. She smiles slightly, making a mental note to respond after the questioning. Glimmer glances at her, smirking. 

"What are you smiling about?" She asks, raising an eyebrow. "That girl you've been seeing lately?" Adora chuckles and nods slightly. 

"Yeah, her. I know I'm only here for a while, but… I really feel something genuine with her," She murmurs, feeling just a little silly. Glimmer nudges her gently. 

"Get it while you can, huh?" She teases, and Adora rolls her eyes, fighting a smile. 

"It's more than just  _ that _ ," She murmurs, shaking her head a bit. Glimmer chuckles and shrugs, but all joking around stops when a car drives up to the front of the building where Adora and Glimmer have been waiting. 

Kyle had been told he was going right to the FBI building for questioning, and that he'd be held there until they got all the information he needed, which lowkey made him want to die. He'd be there forever then… He steps out of the car, looking between the two women standing in front of him. "Hi," He greets them quietly, and they both give him a nod of silent greeting. 

"Come with us, we'll take you to the interrogation room." Glimmer smirks at him, nodding her head towards the door. Kyle swallows nervously before following them in. He looks around as they walk down various halls, finding this building to have such a tense intimidating air around it. He doesn't have a good feeling about this.

He's instructed to sit on one end of a table once they're in the room, which he does. Adora and Glimmer sit on the other end, looking at him. "My name is Adora Starke, and this is Glimmer Brightmoon," Adora introduces them, gesturing to the each of them. "We're only going to ask you some questions."

"I assume you know why you're here?" Glimmer asks, and Kyle decides to play dumb. Maybe they'd pity him a little if he seemed distraught. 

"They just said I'm part of an investigation, but that's all I know," He mutters, shaking his head. "They didn't give me specifics." 

Adora nods slowly. "Okay. Well, we've launched a new investigation on the Felino mafia, and we're trying to locate its leader. We've taken you into custody because you were arrested for a murder tied to the mafia," She explains to him, her voice gentle. Kyle grimaces, no longer playing a part. 

"Look, guys, I really don't wanna do this. I left that all behind and I  _ don't _ wanna be dragged into that mess again. I'm  _ done _ , okay? I'm not saying anything," He insists, looking down. "I'm not, because she'll drag me back in if I do."

Glimmer sighs. "I know this is probably hard for you, but if we have any chance of bringing her down, we need you to tell us what we need to know. Understand?" She asks, looking at him expectantly. Kyle sighs, closing his eyes. "There's something you want to say, isn't there?" 

He could get killed in an instant if he said anything about Catra's identity, but what could he really do? He was stuck here unless he talked. He needs to choose his words carefully here... "Fine."

Adora smiles slightly. "Great. Thank you." She takes a look at Glimmer's notepad, where she's written a few of the questions they've decided on. "So, why don't you start at the beginning, give us a little background?" 

Kyle sighs, playing with his hands a bit. "My parents died in an accident when I was about ten, and… I got put in foster care, obviously, but I just hated every family they put me in. I don't know why but I just…couldn't handle it. I started going out and doing all this, like, rebellious stuff." Adora and Glimmer exchange a look, unable to believe that this kid could do anything wrong. He looked  _ way _ too meek to be committing crimes. Kyle pointedly ignored their looks. "I met a couple of people who were in the Felino mafia when I was kicking the crap out of some dude-" Adora's eyebrows raise in surprise. Well then. "-and they told me who they worked for, and that I had, um… potential? I was scared, but they said it was okay." He winces a bit as he recalls everything.

Glimmer has been writing everything down while Adora listens with rapt attention. "How did you meet Felino?" Glimmer asks, looking up from her notepad. 

Kyle smiles slightly. "Apparently, I was the youngest person in the entire mafia--I was thirteen. Felino didn't really like that someone so young was recruited without her permission, but it was too late to kick me out because I knew too much, so she requested that I be brought directly to her, and she kind of… took me under her wing, I guess you could say." He rubs the back of his neck. "She can be a really scary person. But she made me feel safe back then, after learning I was an orphan. She took me everywhere with her, she was kind of like a mom to me. She even… treated me like a son." He takes a deep breath, closing his eyes. "But one day, she, um… took me to some meetup with one of her connections, and…" He frowns, playing with his hands again. "It went really bad. I saw too many people get shot, and I decided then that I couldn't do it anymore, and told her I wanted to leave. That pissed her off." 

Adora tilts her head a bit in thought, sidetracking him a bit. "Kyle, tell me more about your arrest. What tied that murder to Felino?" 

Kyle chuckles. "Well, that's the thing." He looks up at them. "She said if I wanted out, I had to kill someone. She sent me out with her partner to take care of someone who had it coming anyways, according to her, and I-I tried. I tried, because I wanted out so bad, but I couldn't do it." He sounds pretty pained at the memory of it all. He takes a shaky breath. "Her partner took my gun and they killed the guy instead, not even caring about it or me. But it was bad luck, because there were police right nearby for a different reason, so it all fell apart right away. They ran before they could get caught, so I got caught instead… It made Felino think I did it regardless, so I still got out." He laughs sadly. "But yeah. That's," He takes a deep breath, closing his eyes. "Basically it."

Glimmer sets her pen down, looking at him. She felt bad for him. She believed his story, too, and Adora did too. Neither of them believed this kid was capable of murder, there was no way. It was a shame he got arrested for something he didn't even end up doing. "Well, we're sorry all of that happened to you," Glimmer says quietly. "But we want to help you get justice. We want to make sure she can never hurt anyone again. So we need your help, okay?"

Kyle looks away. "I'm not a kid," He reminds her, his voice a bit tight. "You don't have to talk to me like one." Glimmer winces, and Adora heaves a sigh, her attitude totally shifting.

"Fine. Talk, Kyle, or we'll just arrest you again," She warns, and Kyle looks up at her, his eyes wide. 

" _ What _ ? You can't do that!" He exclaims, shocked. "I didn't do anything!" 

Adora shrugs. "I can make something up. They're more likely to believe government agents rather than someone who's already been convicted," She reminds him. Glimmer looks at her eyebrows raised in surprise.

"Adora, what are you-?" 

"So, are you gonna talk, Kyle?" Adora asks, cutting Glimmer off. Kyle bites his lip, visibly frustrated and now angry with the situation. 

He shifts uneasily. "Like I said before, I can't say much. I really can't, because I  _ really  _ don't want to die," He explains, shaking his head. "And I'm sorry, but I can't give you her name. But…" He takes a deep, shaky breath, trying to think of something actually helpful. "She works and lives downtown- that's where her base is, I mean. And she pretends to be a normal civilian, blending in with everyone else. That's how she gets by, really," He tells them, looking at them nervously.

"Okay, and?" Adora waves her hand in a circular motion, gesturing for him to keep talking, to say more. Glimmer has been impatiently tapping her pen, sighing every so often. Kyle looks up towards the ceiling, trying to think of anything else he'd be willing to give up that wasn't her fucking name or exact place of work.

"She's really well known and liked in the community, which is a big reason she keeps her last name a secret, because it'd be a dead giveaway. Too many people know her." Adora continues to urge him on, but he shakes his head. "I-I'm sorry, but I can't tell you anymore. I told you, I can't give her up-"

There's a knock on the door, dragging everyone's attention to it. Adora sighs in frustration, gesturing for Glimmer to get up and get it. Glimmer does so, and she's greeted by Entrapta. Kyle looks at her, frowning a bit as he and Entrapta make eye contact. "So that's him, huh? He's out?" Entrapta asks, and Glimmer nods. Entrapta seems a bit surprised by his appearance; Jeez, he really was young. Kyle says nothing, narrowing his eyes at her, making her look away. 

"Yeah. What did you need, Entrapta?" Glimmer asks, leaning against the doorframe. 

"I just wanted to let you know I was able to recover some of the profiles you needed," She tells them, shrugging slightly. "So you can take it easy on the kid for now." 

Adora and Glimmer both look at Kyle, who is staring down at his lap now. "Thanks, Entrapta. You can just leave them on my desk," Glimmer tells her with a smile. Entrapta nods slightly and turns away, walking off to do as she was told.

Adora sighs. "Guess today is your lucky day," She murmurs. "Looks like you're not our last lead." At least, on the bright side, they have a starting point on where exactly to look for Felino. They had a lot of other questioning to do, but they had a starting point. It was better than nothing. 

Glimmer nods a bit. "You can go now, Kyle," She tells him, gesturing to the door. "It's to my understanding that you have someone to take you in?" 

Kyle nods slightly, getting up. "Yeah," He affirms as Adora and Glimmer walk him out. He's honestly just relieved this was all over now. They walk out of the room and towards the entrance, where they're greeted by none other than Double fucking Trouble. 

"Ah, Kyle!" They exclaim cheerfully, walking over to him. "It's  _ so _ good to see you again, darling, aww!" They hug him tight. "You're so grown up!" Adora raises an eyebrow, watching as Kyle doesn't even try to move.

"Double Trouble? What the hell are you-?" She's absolutely bewildered. DT's laugh cuts her off as they nudge Kyle away, smiling brightly. 

"Felino is Kyle's _legal_ _guardian_ \--well, _was_ , since he's eighteen now and everything," They say with another little chuckle, ruffling his hair with a grin. "She sent me to pick him up. Sorry I didn't tell you, Ms. Adora." 

Adora frowns, and Glimmer stands behind her with her face in her hands. Well, once a family, always a family… "I...okay, I guess it doesn't really matter." Since nobody will talk anyways. Adora sighs and shakes her head. "Thanks for picking him up, I guess." DT hums and nods, starting to lead Kyle out, but Adora stops them, something coming to mind. "Hey, hold on." They stop and look at her, an eyebrow raised. Adora contemplates on talking, and saying what she really wants to ask, but instead she's just quiet, making everyone look at her weird. "C-Call me if you decide to talk some more," She settles on. 

DT nods slowly before leaving, Kyle held to their side. Glimmer looks at Adora, baffled. "What was that?" She asks, visibly confused. Adora bites her lip in thought. 

"Felino was Kyle's guardian.  _ Legal _ guardian, DT said. S-So it has to be in the city's files, her name," Adora explains, starting to get excited now that she's said her idea out loud. 

Glimmer's eyes light up as she laughs. "Holy shit! You're right--oh my God, let's go now-" 

"City hall is closed. It's Sunday," Adora mutters, suddenly remembering. "We'll just go tomorrow, no worries," She says, smiling. "DT just told us all that we need to know." Glimmer just chuckles. 

"And they said they wouldn't give anything up."

* * *

Adora cuddles up to Catra that night, resting her head on her shoulder. Tonight was a simple one; they've just been chatting, watching TV, relaxing… Adora needed this after how stressful today was. Catra puts her arm around her, rubbing her shoulder. 

"You good?" She asks, and Adora nods. "You've looked kinda stressed all night. Is work getting to you?" 

Adora doesn't respond for a moment, then she sighs. "Yeah, actually," She admits, sitting up and running a hand through her hair. "It's a lot more… demanding, than my job is at home," She murmurs. Catra looks at her apologetically, rubbing her back. 

"Yeah, I know how that feels," She sympathizes. "I'm sorry it's got you this stressed out." 

Adora shrugs slightly. "It should be fine soon, so I think I'll be okay." She smiles at her before lying back down. 

Catra just holds her close, a question that's been nagging at her suddenly at the forefront of her mind. "Hey, Adora?" 

Adora hums in acknowledgment of her question. 

"How long are you gonna be here?" She asks, her voice quiet. She hadn't wanted to know before, but after spending so much time with her recently, she… kind of wants to know now. She wants to know how long she'll have her for. 

Adora doesn't respond for a moment, because honestly, she doesn't know. "It…depends," She tells her, because it does. 

"On?" 

"How long they need me." 

Catra nods slightly. "Oh. How's that looking, then?" Adora sighs, thinking about the case's progress and where they stood. Well, it didn't look good… 

"Um… I think I might be here a while," Adora finally answers, looking at Catra. Trying to change the subject a bit, she smirks. "What, are you gonna miss me?" She asks teasingly, gently poking her sides. Catra laughs, rolling her eyes. 

"And what if I am?" Catra ask, pulling Adora on top of her and holding her close. Adora looks down at her, smiling. 

She doesn't respond, instead leaning down and kissing her, soft and sweet. It doesn't take much for them to get caught up in the kiss, and it very quickly heats up--like it seemed to do every time they kissed. Catra is about to pull Adora's top off when the obnoxious ringing of Catra's phone stops them in their tracks. Adora looks at her phone, then at her. "Is it important?" She asks quietly, a bit breathless.

Catra takes a look at the screen, then sighs, seeing DT's codename on the screen. Technically, no, it shouldn't be important, but with DT you never knew what bullshit they were getting up to. "Yeah," Catra grumbles, shifting a bit so Adora gets off her. "Be right back," She mutters before picking up her phone and heading outside to the balcony. She answers the phone with a sigh after shutting the door. "What do you want? I'm busy." 

"Your girlfriend can wait, okay? I picked up Kyle earlier, and I'm not sure if he really wants me to keep him tonight…" DT murmurs with uncertainty. "I was never good with him, Kitten, I'm a terrible parent. You at least knew somewhat what you were doing." Catra's groans quietly, putting her face in her free hand. 

"Double Trouble, I really can't right now. I-I'm busy-"

"I just said your girlfriend can wait. I can't just leave Kyle out on the streets, you know," DT insists, sounding a little frustrated. "He's not very happy with me right now…" 

Catra doesn't respond for a moment, thinking about what she wants to do. She really didn't want to kick Adora out right now, especially when she was about to get laid, but she also knows Kyle is still basically her responsibility; He didn't have anyone else. She knew he wanted nothing to do with the mafia side of her, but she was sure he didn't mind everything else… maybe. "Look, just bring him by tomorrow afternoon, I'll take care of him." 

DT sighs in relief. "Alright, that's better than nothing. I suppose you may resume your fun, then. I'll be there at two, just make sure she's gone when I get there." 

"Hey, I'm the one who tells you what to do, not the other way around," Catra teases, and DT just laughs.

"I'll see you tomorrow." And with that, they hang up. Catra sighs, turning and heading back inside. When she gets back to her room, she's surprised, but extremely pleased, to see that Adora has now stripped down to her underwear, eagerly waiting for Catra's return. "Ooh," Catra chuckles and walks right over to her, climbing on top of her with a grin, making Adora laugh. Catra gives her a quick kiss. "God, you're so perfect." 

* * *

Adora stands in front of Catra's mirror, pulling her hair up into a ponytail, adjusting her clothes a little. She had kind of a big day today; She was almost completely certain that she'd be finding out Felino's true identity today, and because of something as simple as a government document. It was laughable, really, and a bit pathetic on Felino's end, that she could be undone just from that. Catra watches her get ready from where she lies in bed.

"I wish you didn't have to go," Catra murmurs, and Adora sighs. 

"Yeah, me neither. But I have some important work to do today, so…" She shakes her head a bit. "Anyways, I'll text you when I get home tonight." She walks over and grabs Catra's chin, tilting her head up and kissing her. "Bye." 

Catra grins as Adora heads out after grabbing the rest of her things. Oh, she really was perfect. Good work-life balance, got close but not  _ too _ close, and best of all? She wasn't some officer or detective or government agent or anything! She knew nothing of Catra's real life, and while Catra would like it to stay that way for now, if things happened to go further, she'd have to reveal it. But, that's a conversation for later, way later. For now… Catra is going to fall head over heels for Adora without a care in the world.

Meanwhile, Adora drives by Glimmer's place to pick her up, having already made appointments to meet with the correct people at city hall to gather the correct documents. Glimmer seems rather excited, and Adora can't blame her. This was turning out to be way too easy. They arrive at city hall and they go right to the correct office, flashing their badges. Upon meeting with the person in charge and explaining they're conducting official business, they're allowed to begin looking through different files regarding legal guardianship changes, adoptions, things like that. They're able to find Kyle's name in a file, but Felino's name isn't listed first; Instead,  _ Double Trouble _ is there, and with that exact name too. Adora sighs and shakes her head. Damn, they were just everywhere she went. 

"They must've legally changed their name to…  _ that _ ," Adora mumbles idly before shifting some pages in the file, not exactly surprised. She sees no note of Felino's name or anything on any of the papers. She sets them down, frustrated. "I-I don't get it." She shuffles through them again. "Felino isn't even on here, just DT."

"No, wait wait," Glimmer holds up a piece of paper she'd been reading. "There's someone else here. Scorpia Garnet." Glimmer's brow furrows in confusion as she continues to read the paper. "That's who was Kyle's guardian  _ with _ DT. There's still a number and address listed here." 

Adora sighs in frustration. "That's definitely a fake name. Felino's name should've been here…" She looks at the file that's spread out across the table in front of them. Then, she huffs in frustration. "I'm so stupid, it should be obvious she would've gone under a fake name--what's the number there, Glimmer?" She requests, pulling out her phone. Maybe she'd get stupidly lucky… 

Glimmer sighs and reads the number back to her, looking up. "Are you sure that'll work?" Adora shakes her head. 

"Worth a shot." She dials the number, then holds her phone up to her ear, waiting patiently for an answer. She's surprised when someone actually picks up.

"Hello?"

"Um, hi, is there a…" Adora looks at the page. "...Scorpia Garnet I can speak to?" The woman who answered the phone doesn't respond for a moment.

"How did you get this number?" She demands, voice suddenly stern and tight.

Adora is surprised by her tone of voice. "I'm… just trying to find Kyle Pelokas' legal guardian."

"Well, that isn't me. I don't even know who that is." The woman laughs nervously. "You've clearly got the wrong number-" 

"No, I think I've got the right one," Adora interrupts, taking a big risk here. "I'm looking for Felino. Tell me where and who she is. Because I've got an address here too, and if I need to, I'll go there. Tell me what I need to know, ma'am." Glimmer looks at her with wide eyes, hoping she knows what she's doing. 

The woman on the other end doesn't say anything for a second or two before she sighs. "Let's not do this over the phone," She says, her voice quiet. "Come to the address you've got, I can help clear up any questions." Before Adora can say anything else, the woman hangs up. 

Adora looks at Glimmer, a slow smile coming to her lips. "Ha… got another lead," She murmurs, setting her phone down. "Let's head here," She murmurs, tapping the page with the address. Glimmer gets up and nods, grinning. 

"Got it."

* * *

"Sounds like they took the bait," Scorpia tells Catra cheerfully. "Double Trouble knew  _ exactly _ what they were doing."

Catra hums quietly, rubbing her temples. Double Trouble hadn't told her about their plan to send the agents on a wild goose chase until literally just then, right before she got the call from Scorpia. "That's great, Scorpia. Did DT tell you about this before me?" 

Scorpia doesn't respond for a moment. "If I say yes, would I be getting them in trouble?" 

"A little, yeah." 

"Then no."

Catra sighs, shaking her head a bit. "It's fine, I'll talk to them later. But hey, you know the rules, right?" Catra asks, frowning. "You're still a part of this, you know that." 

"Yup, I know the rules," Scorpia affirms. "No name, no location." 

"Good girl." Catra takes a breath. "Alright. Clear up their questions, make up a story about why your name is there instead of mine, just make it somewhat believable, okay?" 

"Got it. I've always been a great storyteller, you know, remember when I'd tell Kyle all those stories when he was younger?" Scorpia laughs as she remembers. "Aw, man, he used to  _ love  _ when I told him stories-" 

"Scorpia," Catra interrupts, trying to sound calm. "Those agents should be on their way to you any minute now if I know them even a little bit." Because she thinks she does. Persistent little assholes, she's certain it's the same ones.

"Ah- Right, right, yeah, no problem. I'll call you back later." And with that, Scorpia hangs up. 

Catra sighs and tosses her phone aside, then rubs her temples. God, whatever agents they now had on her case were  _ really _ starting to piss her off, because they knew  _ exactly _ where to attempt to find her information. Now she's  _ really  _ glad she didn't take a risk and use her actual name when becoming Kyle's guardian. She had Scorpia to thank for that; it was far easier to use fake IDs and information that wasn't hers than she thought.

She's been getting more calls and texts like this recently. Somehow, the authorities have been finding more and more dirt on her business, and they're getting closer and closer to figuring out who she is--they're still pretty damn far, but they're definitely making progress at this point. Honestly, if one person cracked under pressure, just  _ one _ , then Catra would be caught and everything would be over. It makes her anxious, but there's nothing she can do but keep her threats hanging in the air in hopes that they work…

Meanwhile, Adora and Glimmer knock on the door of the address they'd gotten from the file, feeling a bit hopeful that whoever this is could give them the information they needed. A tall, well built woman opens the door a moment or two later, and she looks a little nervous. She gives a small wave and a nervous smile in greeting. "Afternoon, ma'am," Adora greets with a smile, showing her her badge. "Special Agent Adora Starke, and this is my partner Special Agent Glimmer Brightmoon, we're with the FBI. May we come in, ask you a few questions?" 

The young woman sighs and steps aside, allowing them in. "I-I'm Scorpia," She murmurs, closing the door before she leads the agents into her living room. "Why exactly were you trying to find me?" She asks as they sit down. 

"Well, like Adora said earlier, we're trying to find Felino's true identity and her location, and based on some information we'd been given, we were under the impression she'd been Kyle's legal guardian. Why does it list you instead?" 

Scorpia shakes her head, chuckling a bit. "Felino kind of, uh… used my identity?" She laughs again, more nervously this time. "She didn't want to put herself at risk by using her real name." Adora sighs and nods her suspicions having been confirmed. 

"Of course," She murmurs, folding her hands in her lap. "Um, can you tell me how you knew Felino?" 

Scorpia sighs, rubbing the back of her neck, okay, time to think. What could she say... "I got into a bit of financial trouble a few years back. I went to Felino hoping for a little help, but… next thing I know, I owe her ten-thousand dollars!" She laughs a little, pretending to be surprised at her own (fake) situation.

Glimmer chokes a bit, shocked. "How on Earth-?" 

"I know," Scorpia murmurs, looking away. "Felino agreed to let it go if she was able to use my identity to adopt Kyle, because she really liked the kid for some reason, I don't know. It was a really,  _ really _ weird request, because she could make a fake identity and everything, but then she wouldn't have an address or number or anything to put down, so I guess it makes sense, but-." She shakes her head, smiling sheepishly when she realizes she'd been rambling. "Hey, anything to help me get outta  _ that _ situation, am I right?" She laughs nervously. "Um. Anyways, that's how I knew her." 

Adora and Glimmer don't really have anything to say to that story, kind of amazed at the complexity. It was… a very odd story, and they almost don't believe it. But they didn't have any other explanation, so… "And, um-" Glimmer composes herself. "Is there anything you can tell us about Felino's real identity? Anything, anything at all that could help us." 

Scorpia looks uneasy. "Look… there's nothing I can do to help you with that. If I were to say anything I'd be dead," She tells them apologetically.

Adora and Glimmer exchange a frustrated look. They'd certainly been hearing that excuse a lot… Adora sighs. "If you just tell us what we need to know, we will make sure nobody can touch you," Adora whispers, starting to get angry--not necessarily at Scorpia, but at the situation and that goddamn excuse.  _ Nobody _ was talking and it was really pissing her off now.

Scorpia, to her surprise, actually seems to really think about that, but ultimately she shakes her head. "I'm sorry, but I can't risk that. I'm really sorry, guys."

Glimmer rubs her hands over her face, standing up. "Alright, this isn't going anywhere. Let's just go, Adora."

"No." Adora leans closer to Scorpia. "Give us her name. Now." Scorpia can't lie, she's just a little intimidated by Adora's energy right now… She leans away from Adora and shakes her head. Adora stands up then, trying to keep herself together. "Thanks for you time, Ms. Garnet," She mutters before turning and walking out without excusing herself. Glimmer says a quiet thank you before following Adora, letting the front door slam behind them on their way out. 

"You okay?" Glimmer asks as they make their way back to the car. Adora shakes her head as they both get in. 

"This is fucking impossible.  _ Nobody _ will say anything and I just- I have no idea what to do anymore!" She puts her face in her hands, incredibly frustrated. "I don't know what to do." 

Glimmer sighs quietly. "Well… we still have those files Entrapta gave us. Let's get through those first, then think of a new plan, okay? Someone's bound to slip up sooner or later."

Adora doesn't respond for a moment, then she sighs. "Okay. Yeah, you're right." She starts the car, then begins driving back to the office.

This was  _ such _ a pain in the ass. 


	5. Chapter 5

hi just letting y'all know I'm still alive and this fic is still in my docs I jsut. haven't written anything in a billion years,,, after ch 5 I lost all vision and motivation so I'm. not really sure what to do with it. I can post ch 5, but after that I'm not totally sure if I'll finish it..... maybe the new season will help w some motivation... idk. anyways that's all, bye bye


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